It was about few weeks back when I first held the device in my hands and I really asked myself if the phone was worth the hype and price? Well, after using it for a considerable time I guess I have the answers to the aforementioned questions.
Package Contents:
Design:
To start with, Nokia has worked hard on N97’s design. And though, I agree that it is not up to the mark of a high-end premium phone, it is close. The phone feels solid in your hands. Large 3.5-inch display, chrome bezel, touch sensitive call keys add to the phone’s positives. The horizontal sliding mechanism is decent too creating a unique tilt to enhance better viewing.
The face is taken by its large touchscreen, call and the menu keys. Starting from left and moving clockwise, you’ll be able to find a two speakers, key guard, USB port; top with the power button and 3.5mm input; right with the volume and camera keys; and finally the down side integrates the microphone.
Keyboard:
Coming to the keyboard, I don’t know what were the Nokia designers thinking when designing one of the most important parts of the phone. Sure, the keyboard is well spaced out, has island keys but why did the intelligent minds shift the space bar key?! The space bar key has been shifted slightly to the right hand side and needs some practice before you get it right. Overall, the typing on N97’s QWERTY is good and as I crank out more messages, my typing speed too, is increasing.
Operating System:
Nokia N97 runs on Symbian S60 5th Edition which Nokia uses for its few-but-expanding range of touchscreen phones. Now, if you’ve used 5800XM, there are no major changes except few things here and there. Also, I feel the OS actually hampers N97’s hardware with the occasional errors it pops up while using the phone.
Camera:
N97 has a 5MP autofocus camera with Carl Zeiss lens. The camera can be activated by sliding the protection cover down or you can hold the camera button. Regarding the quality, the photos are not that bad when it comes to clicking under daylight but it tends to give out mediocre quality photos under low or medium light conditions. On the video front, the camera is able to record at a resolution of 640×480 pixels and can use dual LEDs as additional light in areas during low light videography.
Check out some sample shots below (Click for full-res image).
Widgets:
Widgets are an important part of N97. Widgets are small applications that can be access your favorite social networking sites, get stock quotes, e-mail and more. Nokia allows you to keep your four favorite widgets on the homescreen for quicker access.
N97 is the first phone from Nokia to come pre-installed with the Ovi Store. The integration is quite nice and you can install multiple widgets, applications in a jiffy.
Storage & Multimedia:
Massive storage is another thing which you may not find in other phones in the same range. N97 boasts a huge 32GB internal storage that can be further expanded to up to 48GB by inserting a microSD card. The mammoth storage makes it easy for users to store their multimedia content. And speaking of multimedia, N97 doesn’t disappoint either.
Coupled with the tilted screen and large widescreen, watching movies is a treat. Though there’s not a variety of codec support, going through the video conversion process is worth the pain. Indian N97 buyers will get pre-installed episodes of Khatron Ke Khiladi (Indian version of Fear Factor).
On the music front, the phone supports MP3, eAAC+, WMA, WAV and the built-in music player does a good job. It has various EQ options, Stereo Widening and has a good sound output when heard on a loudspeaker and also in the included earphones. If you ever get bored of your existing music library, there is FM Radio to the rescue or you can download new songs from Nokia’s Music Store. It’s also got a FM transmitter.
Other features:
N97 comes with the default webkit browser and the browsing experience hasn’t changed much except that I can use the touchscreen interface more efficiently now. The phone supports Flash, which means Flash required sites work like a charm. I tried YouTube and the videos rendered perfectly.
The phone comes with a built-in GPS receiver. Users can either use GPS either with Nokia’s homegrown Ovi Maps or third party apps like Google Maps. The usability again, is same but one thing that is added with the GPS receiver is the compass that is used in tandem with the Maps application.
Battery:
Given its multimedia and connected 24×7 capabilities, Nokia has given it a 1500mAh battery which in my opinion is good. With net surfing, online widgets, music and calling, the phone lasted me almost 2 days on a single charge.
Conclusion:
To conclude, I would like to say that Nokia is leaving no tables unturned to market its flagship phone. But as a consumer when you’re shelling around Rs. 35,000 you’ll definitely look for options. There’s a year-old iPhone 3G (same price range), Omnia HD (coming soon, expectedly around the same price), HTC Magic (cheaper & Android OS) and when you compare them with N97, the Nokia device looks weak.
Nice one,
except that the N97 gives a lot more storage in return compared to the Omnia HD.
Although both can reach the same 40 gig mark, the N97 with a slower proc and less RAM would consume less battery if you arent gonna use multiple apps alot. Besides, if you are a storage freak this is the right choice.
For anyone who’s looking for a snapper with some video recording the Omnia may be a better choice, however with the limited storage and 32GB card slot, you will roaming around for the right card.LOL.
The HTC magic is a lot cheaper, lesser cam, and the version sold in India does not allow to install google apps even. The iPhone seems a lot to common nowadays( a 10th grade kid was flaunting it the other day).
All in all, though it becomes difficult to decide between the Nokia and the Samsung, clear points to distinguish will be
1>Camera
2>Storage( built-in)
3>input method.
4>Processing power and RAM.
Jakshil.
The N97 is a good phone, with lots of good features, but the resistive touchscreen, lacklustre Ovi app store and ageing browser are disappointing.
I hold no blind loyalty to N97, nor did I to my 9210, 9300, or 9500.
But while I have a N97 in my pocket I’ll remain true to the Brotherhood.
My N97 is my best friend.
My relationship is currently on hold while I accustom myself to everything that the N97 can offer me. So far, I haven’t put it down.
I’m getting married in 7 days and hope to have grown up by then. If not, my N97 will be with me at the top table and I’ll mention him in my Wedding Speech.
Love is such a fickle thing.
See you around http://www.nokian97forum.com
Hello there, great blog.
GOt myself a Nokia N97 now and saw your screenshot of Rediff Moneywizz which is quite cool. Can I ask you where you got it from. You bave to register at their website first?
Thanks!
@HJ: You can get it from the Ovi Store. You need to have a free account there.
Hi Kunal, I created an account, searched through the whole shop but no sign of that app anymore. Was it free? I don’t care to pay for good software, where can I buy it?
@HJ: It’s free. Here it is – http://store.ovi.com/content/8162
Hi Kunal, thanks. It seems that this widget is officially not available for my country which is odd!!
Is there anyway that you can send the file via e-mail?
Thanks!
@HJ: I don’t think that would be feasible. Besides, if you want to track Indian stock apps, I would recommend Bloomberg widget, which is far more superior than Rediff’s.
Nokia sure makes the best and ergonomic phones in the market today. the Nokia N97 have very good ergonomics and is very user friendly